Jane

My cat is so crazy! She does the cutest things, such as watch TV and relax in the bathroom sink.
Cats are interesting creatures.

Globe Haven Peaches

The peaches are delicious this summer. The "Globe Haven" peaches have been the sweetest and juiciest of them all.
I made a nice large batch of peach jam from this variety last week. No need to add sweeter to the mixture either. Leaving refined sugar out of jam is much healthier. One can always sweeten jam with 100% white grape juice instead.
I've also been enjoying globe havens sliced with peanut butter on whole grain toast every morning for breakfast.
I'll definitely make it a point to add a few of these peachtrees to my slowly growing home fruit orchard next year.

Spicy Gazpacho

Gazpacho tastes the best right now, because all the vegetable used in this chilled soup can't get any fresher.
Ingredients;
5 cups of diced tomatoes
1 large minced garlic clove
1 medium vidalia onion, chopped
1 small sweet green pepper, diced
1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 fresh chili peppers, minced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 stick of celery, diced
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together and chill.
Serve cold.

Saving My Vine Ripening Tomatoes From The Snails

Lately I've been having to pick my ripening  tomatoes that are growing closer to the ground, because the snails have been putting holes in them.
It's either give my tomatoes to the snails, or finish ripening them in my kitchen.

Speghetti Squash with Fresh Tomato Sauce

This is one of my favorite meals. It's very light and healthy.
Ingredients;
1 large speghetti squash
3 Tbsp olive oil
1medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1/2 of a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
Sea salt and pepper to taste
12 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Cut speghetti squash in half. Wrap both halves in foil and bake in oven at 435.
Meanwhile heat oil in skillet. Add onion and pepper flakes. Cook until onion is soft. Add garlic, continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Add all other ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
When squash is cooked, remove from oven. Scoop seeds and discard.
Run tines of fork lengthwise over surface of squash to loosen speghetti like strands; scoop out strands.
Add speghetti squash to the sauce and serve.

Wine Tasting in the Fingerlakes

Now that summer is almost at it's end, this is the perfect time for wine lovers to start planning weekend getaways to the Fingerlake wineries.
I plan on visiting soon. The drive is only about an hour and a half away from my town, making this a great day trip.
Some of my favorite wines are from the Fingerlakes.
If anyone who appreciates fine wine and is within driving distance to the Spectacular  wine region this fall, visit some of their wineries. You won't be disappointed.
You can visit Kayuka Lake, Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake. All of them have great wineries.

Back to Painting

Soon my kids will be going back to school. I'm very ready to spend a lot of time in my art room painting some canvases I've already sketched.
Most of these painting will be my favorite and most fun things to paint, BUTTERFLIES.
I never get tired of painting them, because of all their intricate designs and vibrant colors.
The photos are of my art room, a place where I enjoy spending most of my time when I can't garden.

Tofu with Tomatoes, Basil and Mint

Ingredients;
4 tsp sherry vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
14 oz tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch squares
2 lb mixed ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored and sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 tsp of fresh mint, sliced
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, and oil in a small bowl.
Arrange tofu and tomatoes on a platter. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle with dressing and top with sliced herbs and sesame seeds.

Pictures I took today of my sunflowers and wild asters

Asters grow all around my vegetable garden. I don't weed them out, because they attract bees and butterflies like crazy, which is great for my garden.

The Garden

My sunflowers make my garden shine with their vibrant yellow colors, even on the most overcast day.

Assorted peppers with onions, kidney beans and swiss chard

This is a yummy veggie dish will make a great side with anything. All of the vegetables came from my garden, except for the kidney beans and the zucchini. I didn't have enough room in my garden to grow zucchini this year. They're easy and very inexpensive to find at roadside stands.
Ingredients: 
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 sweet banana peppers, halved
3 medium Italian hot peppers, halved
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 bunch of Swiss chard, chopped
1 cup of kidney beans
Sea salt and pepper to taste
In a large saucepan saute all veggies in olive oil over medium heat, uncovered until tender.
once finished, add the kidney beans and season with salt and pepper.
Serve.

Burt's Bees Scrub and Lip Shimmer

Burt's Bees has some great products.
I just brought the honey and shea sugar body scrub. This scrub makes your skin feel so soft after your bath. You can use it up to 3 times a week.
Their lip shimmer has pretty tints to choose from.
It leaves your lips moist and a bit plump from the peppermint extract they use as one of the ingredients.
Burt's bees scrubs and lip shimmers  are found in most grocery stores and drug stores. They're prices are very reasonable, which is nice.

Roasted summer squash, greens and white beans with pasta

This is a delicious tasting pasta dish!
Ingredients;
1 large summer squash, roasted and chopped
1 package of whole grain pasta, cooked
1 bunch of greens
( I used escarole and swiss chard)
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
6 halved grape tomatoes
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs water
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of white beans

Quarter summer squash and place in a baking dish. Season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast uncovered in oven at 435 degrees, until cooked, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook pasta.
While pasta is cooking add olive oil into a skillet. Heat oil, saute garlic, greens and tomatoes over medium heat. Add 3 tbs water to veggies and continue to cook. Once veggies are soft and squash is roasted, chop and add the squash to the pan, along with the cooked white beans. Toss in the pasta. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.
This dish also tastes great with lemon juice squeezed over top.

Preserving Sauces from the Daily Harvests of the Garden

Now is a great time to visit veggie stands, local farm markets, or picking from your own garden, for freezing, and canning.
When picking herbs to store for winter, it's best to do so on a dry day, in the early afternoon.

Quick healthy pasta dishes

Pasta can be used to whip together quick low fat main dishes.
Here are some tasty recipes;
Italian pasta;
Cooked whole grain pasta
Chopped fresh basil
Halved grape tomatoes
A few tbsp olive oil

Mexican pasta salad;
Cooked whole grain pasta
Black beans
Fresh, steamed corn off it's cob
Minced jalapenos
A dressing of olive oil, lime juice, and ground cumin.

Pasta with summer vegetables;
Cooked whole grain pasta
Diced red pepper
Zucchini
A few tbsp olive oil
2 chopped garlic cloves
Roasted pine nuts

Parmesan cheese can be added to all these pastas, though they're tasty enough without the extra fat from the cheese.

Sunflower In My Garden

Cape Cod, Truro, Massachusetts

We just came back from our summer get away. We went to Provence town. We've been visiting since 1992, and I'm never tired of this charming, unique, artistic community.
We had a great time with my husband's daughter and her boyfriend. We also got some great tans napping on the beach!

The second pic was taken out of our kitchen window.
The last pic is of Provence Town. We climbed the pilgrim monument and took this shot from the top.
The first pic is of me, hubby, my step daughter and her boyfriend. We're having a great time enjoying  beers, wine, and a bloody mary at the bar in the Lobster Pot. The meal was fabulous!
The third pic is of one of the beaches me and hubby swam and tanned at.

A Bountiful Harvest in the Garden

It's so exciting to harvest veggies almost daily from the garden.
It's also a blessing that the woodchuck who was eating my greens is now gone.  The vegetables that were being eaten to the ground daily, have grown back fully.